I took a quick shower and tried to eat a bagel with peanut butter. It just didn't seem to want to go down, but I knew I *had* to eat it. Rubbed Body Glide everywhere. Rubbed sunscreen everywhere. And we headed to the lobby.
As we left our rooms, we found that our coaches and mentors had decorated our door the night before. There were lots of doors of other TNT runners decorated throughout the hotel.
The lobby was full of purple TNT jersey-clad folks. Everybody was so excited - you could just feel it. More hugs and high-fives. "Are you ready?" we just kept asking each other. One quick team picture, and we headed to the bus.
It wasn't too long until we got to the start area. Balboa Park. It was still dark, but there were already tons of people milling around. We found a good spot right under a big tree and claimed it as our own. We had brought garbage bags to sit on and/or wear. I also had brought a long sleeved t-shirt. That morning, however, it didn't seem cool at all, so I never put the sleeves on. A few trips to the porta-potty. The lines were already growing.
Then, out of the blue, a band started marching down the street toward the start line playing a song. But it wasn't just any band. And it wasn't just any song. It was the Marine Corps band and they were playing the Marine Corps Hymn. Instant tears. MY DADDY....
I managed to catch Jodi and the kids by phone as they headed to church. I was glad to hear their voices before I started. "GO MOM!" A few text messages from Connie too. ("Good luck! Keep 17 min pace or they will drive u! I love you! Dad is proud!")
We took our gear bags to the row of UPS trucks. They were in alpha order by last name. Mine was all the way at the end of the row. After my hike back to our spot, it was about 6:15am and time to head to the corral.
We all weaved our way through the people and found a spot in Corral #19 (out of 23). There was a sea of people in front of us (remember, faster runners toward the front) and still tons of people behind us. We were all just so excited and nervous. Hugging, crying, holding hands, laughing, squealing - you get the picture. I can't tell you the emotion that we were feeling at that minute.
National Anthem. And then we heard the announcer start the race. Jessica (tallest member of our team) said she could see people ahead moving. And then a few minutes later we started walking. Slowly. We'd walk a bit and then stop. This went on a few times and then we were walking and walking. A bit faster and faster. And then there it was - the start line - and we crossed it! *SCREAMS* You could hear the beeps of the chips on our shoes being recognized as thousands of feet were crossing the mat.
We started running!
The marathon had begun!!
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